Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches: 2026 PGA Tour Betting Odds
It’s a bit of a watered-down field this week at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches. Ireland’s Shane Lowry is favoured on the PGA golf odds.
This tournament is in a tough spot on the schedule as it followed back-to-back big-money, limited-field Signature Events in California and there’s another next week up in Orlando, the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Thus, most big-name guys are taking this week off. Sunday’s surprise winner at the Genesis Invitational in Jacob Bridgeman was originally in the field but opted to withdraw.
He held off Rory McIlroy and Kurt Kitayama for his first PGA Tour title Sunday in his 66th career start. The 26-year-old became the first player since 2005 to play Riviera Country Club in L.A. for the first time and leave with the trophy. Bridgeman was a co-runner-up here in 2025.
Fellow American Ben Griffin had opened as the betting favourite for this one and was the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 11 in the world, but he withdrew Monday. Jackson Suber took his spot. Aussie Adam Scott, who won here in 2016, briefly became the favourite but also withdrew Monday. Canadian Taylor Pendrith withdrew Sunday.
The defending champion is fairly unknown American Joe Highsmith, who shot 19-under 265 to finish two up on Bridgeman and JJ Spaun for his first PGA Tour victory. He almost missed the cut but shot 64-64 on the weekend to become the first player on Tour to make the cut on the number and go on to win the event since Brandt Snedeker at the 2016 Farmers Insurance Open.
The 25-year-old Highsmith hasn’t won since, isn’t having a very good year and is +28000 to repeat. The last player to do that in this event was Jack Nicklaus way back in 1978. He lives in that area as a lot of PGA Tour guys do. I simply recommended an American winner in 2025, but my individual pick was Daniel Berger, who shot an opening 63 but finished T25.
Since 2007, the tournament has been played on Nicklaus-designed Champion Course at PGA National Resort – it can be of the tougher tracks on Tour led by the Bear Trap: The par-3 15th, par-4 16th and par-3 17th holes. It plays to par 71 at 7,223 yards, about 100 yards longer than last year. Water is in play on 15 of the 18 holes, including the Bear Trap stretch.
Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches Golf Odds
Shane Lowry is now the +1400 favourite and while he hasn’t won the tournament, he has been 11th, fourth, fifth and second (to Sepp Straka in 2022) in his past four trips. He has played two events in the USA this year and finished eighth and T24 in California.
Ryan Gerard is a rising player on the Tour and the 26-year-old American has made the weekend in all five events this year and has two second-place finishes. He was fourth in this event in 2023 and 24th last year. Gerard is the top-ranked golfer in the FedExCup standings in the field at No. 7 and highest-ranked player in the world rankings at No. 26.
Nicolai Højgaard (+2000), Rasmus Højgaard (+2200), Michael Thorbjornsen (+2200) and Keith Mitchell (+2700) round out the favourites. Nicolai Højgaard has a third on the PGA Tour this year and a fourth on the DP World Tour. He was 18th here in his 2025 tournament debut. His brother Rasmus missed the cut in his only visit in 2023. Mitchell won here in 2019.
Brooks Koepka (+3000) might be the biggest name in the field and plays a third time on Tour this year (T56 and missed cut) after leaving LIV Golf. His best result here was a T2 in 2019.
No Canadian has won the Cognizant Classic, but Mackenzie Hughes finished runner-up by a shot in 2020 and Dan Halldorson was a co-runner-up in 1991 to Steve Pate. Taylor Pendrith, Adam Svensson, Ben Silverman and Hughes all missed the cut last year. Hughes is +5000 this week with Adam Hadwin +12500. Hadwin makes his first PGA Tour start of the season after failing to re-earn his Tour card last year via the FedExCup Fall. He has played twice on the Korn Ferry Tour so far this year.
Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches Golf Prediction
Rarely take a favourite in golf, but Shane Lowry (+1400) feels overdue a win at PGA National.